Notes
by Sahara Storm
Summary: [Complete, NejiTen] [AU] Tenten finds herself developing a strange relationship with the new guy in Homeroom.
1. Monday

Okay! Multi-chapter fic from Sahara, zOMG. Those of you who know me, and know that I usually have issues with updating, here's some good news: the entire fic has been written, and I'm going to update each day this week. Until something really terrible happens, like I forget, or die or something.

ANYWAY!

**Title:** Notes  
**Part 1: Monday  
****Fandom:** Naruto  
**Pairing:** Neji/Tenten; minor Naruto/Hinata  
**Rating: **PG(-13)  
**Word Count: **1,110  
**Summary: **AU. Tenten finds herself developing a strange relationship with the new guy in Homeroom.  
**Warnings/Spoilers: **None, really. Maybe OOC, but it's not OOC as much as it's just AU, if you get what I mean. The teeniest bit of cursing. POV skips like nobody's business.  
**Notes: **I generally, as a tacit agreement between my muse and I, don't write AU fics. Don't much like to read them either. So, it of course makes PERFECT sense that I'd go and write one. (eye-roll) For the purpose of the fic, let's pretend that Team Gai is the same age as the Rookie Nine.  
**Thanks to: **Pikachumaniac-chuu and Ego-chan-babe, for being such lovelies and supplying me with much needed info. (loves on) I didn't use all of it, but it was very helpful, and very sporting of you guys. And last (but let there be no mention of the word least), thanks so much to Goldberry and Wingsover for the betas. You've all read their fics; you know what a lucky gal I was to have them _both_ offer their services. GeeBee, Wingsy, y'all were a tremendous help. Take a bow, ladies. Audience, cue your roaring applause.  
**Disclaimer:** Unless I fly to Japan, seduce Kishimoto-sama, get him to marry me, and then off him, I doubt _Naruto_ will ever be mine.

* * *

**Notes on School System:** This school system used in this fic probably won't be anything like what you're used to. I mean, it's not radically different or anything, but it might make you go, 'Eh?' more than a couple times. I basically made a hybrid of my own school experiences, and what I know of the Japanese and American systems. If you have questions, feel free to ask! But really, remember, the school is just the backdrop. The story itself is all about the NejiTen. :3

* * *

_Monday_

He walked into the classroom just in time to see the tall, silver-haired man at the blackboard whirl around and fling a piece of chalk at a guy sleeping in the third row. The boy awoke with a start, but took his time in sitting up, rubbing at his eyes lazily.

"Wake up," the teacher said genially, swiping another stick of chalk off of his desk. "Next time, I might not be able to find a piece of chalk, and I just might throw whatever my hand happens to land on first… like this hard wooden eraser, or a nice, pointy pen."

The boy rubbed the palm of his hand over his head, glared at his sensei as if the man was a fly sent to personally harass him, and grunted something like an agreement.

"And Chouji," he continued, mismatched eyes homing in on the stocky brunet next to the sleeper, "if you're going to try to eat during class, I wouldn't recommend barbeque chips. Even if I didn't hear the pack crinkle open, I certainly couldn't have missed that pungent smell."

Chouji pouted, and groaned. As the teacher held out a hand expectantly, he glanced towards the door, finally acknowledging Neji's presence.

"Come on in," he said as Chouji planted the bag of chips in his hand and stalked back to his seat grumpily, waving his other hand in a negligent gesture. "You could only be our new student, I'm guessing?"

Since it wasn't really a question, Neji didn't bother to answer, and only watched boredly as the teacher rifled through a couple of papers on the desk.

"Ah… Hyuuga Neji." The sharp, narrow eyes trained on him, and Neji tried to dismiss the slightly unsettling feeling they gave him. "Welcome to the class. I'm Hatake Kakashi. Pay attention, obey my rules, and try not to be a nuisance, and we'll get along just fine." He paused to peer inside the orange and yellow packet in his hand. After some contemplation, he extracted a potato chip, and began munching. "Oh, and remember to play nice with the other kiddies," he said as an afterthought, twisting his mouth to the side.

The Hyuuga blinked.

"Tenten." The red and black gaze of Neji's new sensei had skipped across the classroom to a slim brunette in the far corner. Silver-grey eyes followed. The girl was leaning back in her chair languidly, legs crossed, fiddling idly with a push-point pencil.

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Show him around, would you? The school compounds, the staffroom, his classrooms and stuff."

The white-eyed boy cocked an eyebrow shortly at the teacher; he wasn't five, he didn't need a chaperone. He glanced at the girl, noted the slight furrowing of her brow, the tiny frown that marred the straight line of her lips. Clear honey eyes assessed him briefly; he returned it with a cool stare.

"Okay," she finally said, shrugging, sounding disinterested. The pencil did a spin and a flip, pivoting into the air, and she caught it with her middle and index fingers on the descent.

Kakashi nodded brusquely, lips settling into a satisfied line. He looked at Neji, and jerked his head in Tenten's direction.

"Take the seat in front of her. She can give you the timetable and other particulars later. Meanwhile…" He turned back to the board, picking up from where he had left with his note on the Meiji Era. "…Try to catch up."

With the teacher's back turned and only the faint sound of the chalk scratching the board colouring the stark white silence, Neji now registered the dozens of eyes that gauged him openly, curious and blatant. Ignoring them all, he walked silently to his seat in front of the girl. His eyes flicked over her once more, but she wasn't paying him any attention at all. Her eyes seemed to be fixated on the open textbook in front of her. Neji noted how her eyes didn't scan the page as was the norm when one was reading, but instead remained trained on one spot. He smirked, and sat down.

What Kakashi was writing on the board held his attention for all of ten seconds; he had gone through it in his old school. Bored, he folded his arms across his chest and swept his eyes disinterestedly across the class. The Chouji boy had another bag of chips lying in his lap and seemed to be contemplating his odds of being caught again. The pony-tailed brunet adjacent to him had his chin propped in his palm, and was already nodding off again. On the other side of the room, a blond kid was dipping the pale flaxen locks of the girl in front of him into his ink bottle, and sniggering rather conspicuously. Across from him, a girl with – Neji blinked rapidly – _pink _hair was hissing at him to cut it out. A dark haired boy stared at them both blankly, features seeming to mirror what the Hyuuga was -

Neji gave a tiny start, his train of thought suddenly interrupted by a poke to his shoulder. He turned, and saw a slip of paper in the top corner of the girl's desk, just grazing his shirt. Tenten was pretending to read again. White eyes stared at the paper for seconds on end before a hand slipped up and palmed it.

He opened it in his lap. As he unfolded it, another scrap of paper fell out. He studied the first sheet of paper. It looked to be the timetable. He perused it briefly before opening the other. It was a little note, scrawled in a lazy, casual hand.

_That's your timetable. Meet me by the flags after school, and I'll show you around. Don't be late. I have track at four o'clock._

A chocolate brow arced and Neji snorted softly. He ripped a piece of paper from the corner of his notebook, and quickly penned something back in his neat script.

**I don't need a chaperone.**

The corner of Tenten's lips curved up slightly when she read it. Making a quiet humphing noise, she crumpled up the paper in her hand, pitched it to the floor and went back to her book.

At the front of the class, Kakashi again spun around, this time to throw his pen at the mischievous blond, right between the eyes. The kid squawked, and dropped the ink bottle, while Kakashi pointed to the door expectantly.

"Go on. Principal Tsunade hasn't seen you since you and Sasuke almost destroyed the Biology Lab with your fight; I'm sure she misses you. Ino, go to the bathroom. Yes, you _do_ want to go to the bathroom."

* * *

**Notes:** Comments are love, and they make me happy. 8)


	2. Tuesday

Alright. Here's Part Two.

**Title:** Notes  
**Part 2: Tuesday  
****Fandom:** Naruto  
**Pairing:** Neji/Tenten; minor Naruto/Hinata  
**Rating: **PG(-13)  
**Word Count: **716  
**Summary: **AU. Tenten finds herself developing a strange relationship with the new guy in Homeroom.  
**Warnings/Spoilers: **None, really. Maybe OOC, but it's not OOC as much as it's just AU, if you get what I mean. The teeniest bit of cursing. POV skips like nobody's business.  
**Notes: **Thanks for all the positive feedback, guys. ;) Muchly appreciated. Angechan wanted to know how old they are; about 16. :) In answer to your question, Alyana, I don't like AUs because most of them end up being generic and stupid. Not that there aren't good ones; they're just rare. So when I found myself with a bunny for an AU fic, I was WTFing all over the place. I blame it on the idiot demon muse. XP  
**Thanks to: **See first chapter, please.  
**Disclaimer:** Unless I fly to Japan, seduce Kishimoto-sama, get him to marry me, and then off him, I doubt _Naruto_ will ever be mine.

* * *

_Tuesday_

When Neji walked into class the next day (late again; he'd had to help his cousin find her class) Kakashi was handing out papers.

"Pop quiz," the teacher explained cheerfully when Neji directed a questioning look at him. Most of the occupants of the room were glaring at Kakashi, or grousing beneath their breath, all of which the silver-haired man ignored blithely. He glanced at the late student. "Don't worry; you're exempt. Ino, go back to your seat," he added mildly, not even looking in the blonde's direction. "Shikamaru can't, and won't help you. Meanwhile," Kakashi continued without missing a beat, redirecting his attention to Neji, "go study or something."

Neji was vaguely aware of someone – the prankster from yesterday, he believed – piping up about how unfair that was, and just because he was the new guy didn't mean that… but Kakashi shushed him in due course. The Hyuuga slid into his seat just as Kakashi called out, "Start!"

He could hear pencils tapping papers acutely all around him. Stifling a sigh, he took out his timetable and looked over it. After this class he had… Chemistry Lab.

_Damn it, _he thought shortly, squaring his eyes as a frown settled on his lips.

Refusing to feel the least bit silly or sheepish about it, Neji began writing a note to Tenten. He folded it neatly, and flicked it with his thumb and forefinger over his head, knowing that it would land exactly where he wanted it to; in the middle of her test paper.

Tenten smirked widely when she read it, dry amusement infusing her.

**Where's the Chemistry Lab?**

_Even the set of his shoulders looks surly, _Tenten mused, running her tongue over the surface of her teeth, her smirk showing her amusement. Pushing her answer sheet aside, she hurriedly wrote a reply, keeping an eye on Kakashi as she did.

_Oh? This from Mr. 'I-don't-need-a-chaperone-I-can-find-  
__my-way-around-the-school-perfectly'?_

Neji read it, and glared at the paper. Another corner of his notebook page was ripped away.

**I can ask someone else.**

Tenten snorted as she scrawled an answer, shaking her head in minute exasperation. She wrote a few responses on her test paper before inching her note forward.

_Yeah, I'm sure you will. The Chem. Lab's in the building adjacent to this one, Room 4-2.  
Can't miss it, Pretty Eyes._

Neji read the note, read it over, then one more time for good measure. He then began to think of all possible responses to it. After some time, he managed to think up of a reply, and sent it back.

**...?**

Tenten snickered slightly.

_What do you mean, ?_

…**Pretty Eyes?**

He passed this note to her with a pointed glare; a brave move, with Kakashi right up in front, seemingly engrossed in a book. The girl shrugged, and hid a mischievous smile as she scrabbled the next note on a page corner.

_What? You've got pretty eyes. They're a cool silver/white colour.  
Don't tell me nobody's ever told you that._

Neji looked almost confused as he read it, eyes skipping over the words.

**These eyes are inherent to my family.**

The brunette rolled her eyes.

_Well, I've never seen any of your family, have I?_

She threw it so that it landed in his lap; he caught it deftly with two fingers. After reading it, he placed the scrap of paper in the corner of his desk and did not reply for about two minutes. Tenten, staring at his back, thought that he had grown tired of her. Just as she was about to scribble something back, a folded note sailed over his head and onto her desk.

**Don't you have a test to do?**

Tenten fought the urge to laugh out loud, shaking her head in barely controlled amusement. The broad shoulders in front of her were stiff and straight and stoic; he really was a surly guy. She smirked. If he'd just loosen up a tad, she could actually see him as being an okay guy to hang out with.

The girl stared at his back a moment longer, at the sheet of chestnut hair that fanned out on his shoulders, before going back to her test, a smile still tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Twenty more minutes," Kakashi called out lazily.

* * *

**Notes:** :) Love is in the air?


	3. Wednesday

**Title:** Notes  
**Part 3: Wednesday  
****Fandom:** Naruto  
**Pairing:** Neji/Tenten; minor Naruto/Hinata  
**Rating: **PG(-13)  
**Word Count: **975  
**Summary: **AU. Tenten finds herself developing a strange relationship with the new guy in Homeroom.  
**Warning/Spoilers: **None, really. Maybe OOC, but it's not OOC as much as it's just AU, if you get what I mean. The teeniest bit of cursing. POV skips like nobody's business.  
**Notes: **Sorry that this is a little late. I try to update by 4 PM, Trinidad time, but it's about 11 right now. Technical difficulties, and all that. Anyway, thanks again for all your feedback. I throw love and hugs and kisses in your general direction(s)! XD  
**Thanks to: **See first chapter, please.  
**Disclaimer:** Unless I fly to Japan, seduce Kishimoto-sama, get him to marry me, and then off him, I doubt _Naruto_ will ever be mine.

* * *

_Wednesday_

Neji made it to class early the next day, and was surprised to see that Kakashi wasn't even there. He stood at the entrance for a while, perusing the chattering class with his ivory eyes. Soon enough, he eased an arm out of a bag pack strap so that the bag slung from one shoulder, and advanced to his seat. As he did, he saw Tenten grin and pull out a piece of paper.

_Hey._

The first note said. Neji wondered briefly why she had bothered sending it when the teacher wasn't even there, but shrugged it off, as he remembered that there was something he had to ask her.

**Hi. Where's Kakashi?**

_Late. He always is; you're just always even later._

**Oh. Who is Uzumaki Naruto?**

Tenten blinked at the paper, surprised by the sudden change of subject. She took a glance at the blond topic of conversation; he currently had Kiba in a headlock, and was ruffling up his friend's brown locks playfully.

_The blond guy in the corner, play-fighting with the one in grey_.

After reading the note, Neji's eyes immediately flicked over to the other side of the classroom. He studied Naruto for a few moments, a crease settling itself squarely between his eyes as he recognised him as the prankster. He didn't seem to be very pleased. Tenten noted his reaction with a raised brow and a soft smile. Seemed like Naruto was just destined to have rivalries with silent, stoic, and well… sexy men.

_What's the matter?_

Neji hesitated before replying. It wasn't really any of her concern, and he very much doubted that Hinata would appreciate it. But, he was obliged to look out for his cousin, and if he was going to do that, he had to find out more about this Uzumaki character.

**My cousin seems to display an interest in him.**

Tenten grinned, realisation slowly dawning. This made sense.

_Female cousin, I'm guessing?_

**Yes.**

She almost giggled, not knowing it was possible for one to make a written word manifest such irritation.

_Aww... she's got a crush on him?_

Neji's scowl was enough to answer that question for her. He ignored her question, and opted for another one of his own.

**Does he always act like that? )_)**

He threw Naruto another look; the blond was still wrestling with Kiba, laughing uproariously as he tried to sit on his friend's head.

Tenten had barely managed to not giggle when she'd seen the little face imitating glancing eyes; it proved even harder to stifle a laugh when she saw the Hyuuga's pained look.

_Pretty much. What's the problem?_

_**He**_** is the problem.**

Tenten blinked at the note rapidly, not really understanding.

_Naruto? Oh, come on. He's harmless. Just a bit... overexcited._

**It is not appropriate that my cousin be transfixed  
****with someone such as him.**

She scoffed down at the note in incredulity, getting more irritated by the moment. How controlling could you get? He was trying to dictate his cousin's love life? It was ridiculous. Surely the girl was old enough to decide these things for herself. Tenten glared at the paper some more, pretending it was Neji as she wrote her answer.

_Are you sure it is _**_appropriate_**_ for you to want to control your cousin's life like this?_

Neji's mouth flattened into a thin rigid line, at which the brunette humphed lightly. Seemed like he didn't like being criticised. Well, too bad for him. She studied him with slightly narrowed eyes as he wrote out another note.

_Never mind. I'm sorry to have bothered you with the issue._

Tenten wanted to ball up the paper and throw it at his _head_. What a typical _man_. He resolved the situation by avoiding it. And just when she was thinking that she might actually start to like him.

…Well, not _like_ him, like him, because really, he wasn't the sort of person that she was apt to _like_ like. He was too pretty… well, not _pretty_; more handsome… but pretty. …Prettisome? But anyway, that was all besides the point, seeing as she _didn't_ like him, because he just wasn't the type of guy that she would find herself…

Before she could meander along that train of thought any longer, the door to the classroom opened, and heads all over the class turned as Kakashi sauntered in.

"Sorry for being late," he said glibly, dropping his books down on the desk.

"What happened this time?" Kiba asked with a grin, shrugging Naruto off of himself finally. "Got lost on the Road of Life again?"

"Nope, the Road of Strife," the teacher quipped back without missing a beat. "I took a wrong turn while coming to school and strayed into a bad neighbourhood. I got beat up three times on the way here."

"Yeah _right_!"

While Kakashi was distracted by the questions and accusations being pelted at him by the class, Tenten took the opportunity to pass a last note to Neji. She pinched him on his arm to get his attention, (probably unnecessarily, but it felt good) leaned forward a bit, and dropped the folded piece of paper onto his lap.

_A piece of friendly advice, Neji?(1)  
__Being a snob? In _**_this_**_ school? Not gonna get you anywhere._

He didn't send back a reply, but she wasn't expecting one.

"Oh my, oh my," Kakashi said, raising his brows as the verbal shots from his students kept firing. "All these questions. Did you all _miss_ me?" It was damn near scarring, to hear their teacher speak in such a saccharine voice. Shikamaru, as well as everybody else who had had Kakashi as a teacher for more than three days, gave the man a shrewd glare.

"If we say no, will next week's test be rescheduled for this Friday?"

"…You all must think very little of me."

* * *

**Notes:** (1) You have no idea how very much it amused me to write this. (Cue everyone who hasn't read _Friendly Advice_ feeling very, very confused.)

As always, anything you have to say, whether it be 'Good job', 'You suck' or 'I have something stuck in my teeth', is appreciated. :)


	4. Thursday

**Title:** Notes  
**Part 4: Thursday  
****Fandom:** Naruto  
**Pairing:** Neji/Tenten; minor Naruto/Hinata  
**Rating: **PG(-13)  
**Word Count: **1,700  
**Summary: **AU. Tenten finds herself developing a strange relationship with the new guy in Homeroom.  
**Warnings/Spoilers: **None, really. Maybe OOC, but it's not OOC as much as it's just AU, if you get what I mean. The teeniest bit of cursing. POV skips like nobody's business. I don't even try to make it make sense.  
**Notes: **Buckets of love for all you lovely readers and reviewers. ButaLove, I forgot to answer your question before; sorry about that. :) Yes, my school is almost exactly like the one described in the fic.

Oh, question: have y'all been getting review and story alerts from FFN? I haven't, not for the past few days, and it's sorta annoying to have to come to the site and check. Yah, I'm lazy, didn't you know. :D

We have a bit of a dilemma in this chapter: some of the lines in the notes are supposed to be crossed out. But strikethroughs aren't processed on FFN so they look like normal text. I couldn't think of any other way to make the cross outs understood, so I left them more or less plain. You'll know when the parts with the strikethroughs come up; it's pretty obvious. When it does, please pretend that you're seeing a line passing through the notes. :D  
**Thanks to: **See first chapter, please.  
**Disclaimer:** Unless I fly to Japan, seduce Kishimoto-sama, get him to marry me, and then off him, I doubt _Naruto_ will ever be mine.

* * *

_Thursday_

Tenten didn't even so much as look at Neji when he walked into class the next day. She just held up the book in her hand so that it blocked the view in front of her, and kept on reading. As he approached his seat, she heard him give a little 'humph'. She scowled, and promptly humphed right back. He grunted again, and she heard him slide his bag to the floor as she reciprocated the annoyed sound in return. She listened for a bit, to see if he wanted to continue with it (she was feeling petty enough) but he sat, and humphed no more.

Kakashi eventually arrived with one of his usual excuses, ("I saw a pretty girl, and, well…" "Sensei, you pervert!") and sat at his desk, ordering them to read chapter twelve. He kicked up his legs, pulled out his own book, and told them to take their time absorbing and understanding it; they were going to discuss it as a class the next day.

Tenten flipped to the page, and glanced over its contents briefly; seemed to be something about the yakuza of old. Looking up, she stared absently at Neji's cocoa brown tresses; the guy even had pretty hair, too. It was like something out of a Pantene commercial, or something. She bet if he flipped it, it would be all… flippy.

And then she remembered that she was annoyed with him – pompous ass, _right _– and immediately began boring holes into his back with her eyes. (The hell with being childish – this felt _good_.) Every few minutes, she flicked her eyes book-wards and imbibed something about feuding mobsters, and then resuming her silent glaring.

Until something shot back at her and hit her on the nose.

Momentarily befuddled, it took Tenten a while to realise that it was a note from Neji. She unfolded it before every iota of stubbornness in her could scream out the many reasons why she shouldn't.

**I can't concentrate with you glaring daggers into the back of my head. -_-**

Hm.

Well, whatever she had been expecting, it hadn't been that. Also, it really was kinda hard to stay mad at him when he made those lame little faces.

It took her a long time to come up with a reply she was satisfied with.

_-Well, yesterday, you were being an ass-  
__-It's your fault anyway-  
__-I was more aiming for your neck-  
__Sorry._

She didn't even know what she was apologising for. She just… damn him. _Damn _him. He made her not know what she was apologising for. He made rethink herself. He made her confused. He made her think in the third person.

Of all the possible replies that his note could have generated, the one that Neji had least expected (hadn't even anticipated, truthfully) was an apology. A snarky comeback had been number one on the list, but it seemed like either she had run out of snappy repartee (though, looking at the things she had crossed out, he had to steer away from _that_ line of thought) or she really was sorry. For what, he wasn't sure, because he would admit that it wasn't her fault that she didn't understand the deep-rooted loyalty he had to everything familial, but if she was going to be the bigger person, and apologise first, he would be nothing but a moron to not make a similar compromise.

Tenten saw when he picked up his pen and ripped away a piece of his notebook page, so she was ready this time when he covertly put his arm back on her table, and dropped the note in her book.

**-In your point of view-  
****-I beg to differ-  
****-Well, stop it-  
****So am I.**

Tenten smiled. Really smiled. He really had to be careful about how he wielded that fleeting sense of humour of his. When it did make its appearances, it just about knocked her to the floor. Again, she found herself thinking about the possibility that she just might…

Nah.

In any case, she supposed that this meant that she was officially not mad at him. He was still an idiot, but that was forgivable, seeing that he genuinely only wanted the best for his cousin. And besides, this note passing thing that they had going was much more fun than giving each other the evil eye and humphing.

She shoved the notes to one corner of her desk, tried to quell the beam that was pulling at the corner of her lips (Kakashi really couldn't be _that_ absorbed in his book) and gave chapter twelve her undivided attention.

Her undivided attention had other plans for itself, though. In about ten minutes, she was distracted yet again, this time by the rustle of movement in front of her. She looked up to see that Neji was leaning back in his seat, apparently finished with his reading. He folded his arms across his chest, and from the angle at which he turned in order to stoically observe the rest of the class, she was given a clear view of his sharp profile.

She spent a couple of minutes contemplating what a nice chin he had before she glanced further up, and noticed his unsmiling mouth, and his drawn eyebrows. She sat straighter in her seat, and tried to watch him a bit more closely without being overly conspicuous. The expression on anyone else might have seemed angry, but on the Hyuuga, it conveyed an incongruous combination of slight displeasure and utter calm.

It made her think.

Before she could stop herself, she was digging in her bag for a wad of Post-Its (ripping away pieces of paper was too damn noisy; she really was surprised that their sensei hadn't noticed them yet) and shoving her textbook to one side of the table. One eye cast warily on Kakashi, she quickly wrote down her note, and reached forward to plant it on Neji's shoulder.

_Doesn't it ever occur to you to smile?_

He gave no visible reaction when he read the note, or when writing one of his own and passing it back.

**Post-Its?**

Tenten cut her eyes. She wasn't going to let him get away with the subject changing again.

_My notebooks are suffering. Are you going to answer the question?_

He threw her an exasperated look to accompany his next slip of paper.

…_**Smile? …What for?**_

Tenten sighed, and rolled her eyes a little. The fact that he wanted her to give him a reason to justify smiling said a _lot_.

_So you would look a little less... unpleasant?_

**So, one must smile in order to give an impression of pleasantness. That's what you're saying?**

Tenten scowled a little. Now wasn't the best time to show that he had knowledge of sarcasm too.

_No, it's not what I'm saying, and you know that._

**So…?**

_Look at Sakura. Pink hair, green eyes.  
She's not smiling, but she doesn't look like she wants to draw and quarter  
the next person who touches her._

Neji glanced over at the girl in question. She was hunched over her book in concentration, pointedly ignoring Naruto as he tried to attract her attention by very subtly waving his hands high in the air, like he was trying to signal a plane. The Hyuuga grunted softly.

**I smile when I am given reason to smile.**

Tenten waited until their sensei noticed Naruto, reprimanded him casually and returned to his book before passing her reply.

_Huh. I'm sure._

**You think that I'm unpleasant?**

Tenten was caught just the tiniest bit off guard by the abrupt change in subject. He really was too good at that.

_I never said that._

**Yes, you did. I've gone from having pretty eyes to being unpleasant. Woe. x_x**

Tenten's mouth went slightly agape, and she stared at the paper, trying to make her mind accept what her eyes were seeing. Was he…_teasing _her? His sense of humour was fantastical enough; _this_ was damn near impossible to wrap her mind around. Her mouth started to curl into a hesitant smile as she reached for another Post-It.

_If I didn't know better I would say you were trying to squeeze a compliment out of me._

**Remarkable, isn't it, how after only four days, you already know better.**

Tenten tried not to giggle, but failed. The chucked escaped her lips in a bubble, and she resigned herself to the fact that even though he was stubborn, and arrogant and moody, she liked him. _Liked_ him, liked him. Which was kind of ridiculous, and none too believable, seeing that she didn't even _know_ him that well, past a couple of notes. And Tenten wasn't superficial enough to think that it was only because of his looks (which were considerable, to be completely honest). There was just something about him; that combination of haughtiness and wryness and intelligence that just… drew her to him.

Whatever it was, she mused, fingering the paper and staring at his back, it had developed fast, right before her eyes. She hadn't even seen it happening, but by now, she could recognise it for what it was. And by the looks of things it wasn't going to go away.

Just as well, because she didn't think she wanted it to.

Neji shifted slightly in his seat to glance at the girl behind him, smirking slightly. Tenten, however, wasn't looking at him, but instead was staring down at his last note, a wide smile spreading her lips and creasing a dimple into the surface of her left cheek. Neji watched her smile, felt his heart do some funny sort of antics in his chest, and resignedly acknowledged the fact that he was screwed. Bad.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Kakashi look up from his book, and sweep his gaze over the classroom. Swiftly, he faced forward once again, and turned his attention to his text. Behind him, Tenten also noticed that their teacher had trained his mismatched eyes on his students, and it broke her out of her thoughts of the Hyuuga fairly quickly. She shoved the notes into her bag as fast as possible, and went back to reading.

* * *

**Notes: **Awww, they're being all cute and stuff. :D

Comments very much welcome and appreciated.


	5. Friday

**Title:** Notes  
**Part 5: Friday  
****Fandom:** Naruto  
**Pairing:** Neji/Tenten; minor Naruto/Hinata  
**Rating: **PG(-13)  
**Word Count: **2,730  
**Summary: **AU. Tenten finds herself developing a strange relationship with the new guy in Homeroom.  
**Warnings/Spoilers: **None, really. Maybe OOC, but it's not OOC as much as it's just AU, if you get what I mean. The teeniest bit of cursing. POV skips like nobody's business.  
**Notes: **Kyah! I'm actually finishing a series! :D (Although, it's technically not a series, since this was originally intended to be a oneshot. Eheheheh.) Thank you all for everything. :) I'm glad that you all seemed to enjoy my fic. I really appreciate all of your kind and wonderful comments. (hughughug!)  
**Thanks to: **See first chapter, please.  
**Disclaimer:** Unless I fly to Japan, seduce Kishimoto-sama, get him to marry me, and then off him, I doubt _Naruto_ will ever be mine.

* * *

_Friday_

Friday was the only day of the week that Kakashi was actually early; an ultimatum given by the principal that he had to obey, unless he wanted to lose his job. Tsunade wasn't known for her patience, and besides, Kakashi needed a job to support his porn habit.

Or so hearsay went, anyway.

The silver-haired teacher was already there, waiting for the class to fill up, when Tenten walked into the classroom fifteen minutes early. She placed the note on Neji's desk as soon as she reached it, and that was where he found it when he slipped into his seat ten minutes later. There was a wry look on his face as he picked up the piece of paper. It held until he read it.

_Yesterday, I heard that one Uzumaki Naruto asked one Hyuuga Hinata out on a date._

He scowled, dropped his book bag to the floor, and took out a notebook. As he flipped through, he idly noticed how many pieces of paper had been ripped out. Between Tenten and himself, they had probably killed one good rainforest tree this week.

**Don't gloat.**

_I'm not gloating; just sharing some info with you._

The wide teasing smile that she gave him rather belied that.

**I'm sure.**

She grinned widely at the sour look that accompanied the two words. Presently, though, she studied him carefully, trying to gauge how irritated or not he actually was. The next note she sent was a bit more serious in content.

_Promise me you won't try to do anything to sabotage them._

Tenten spent a few minutes waiting for the reply; she watched the tensing of the muscles in the brunet's back in the meantime as he brooded. When he did pass the note, he did so expressionlessly.

**My cousin comes first.**

_I.e., Naruto makes one wrong move, and he'll find my foot up his ass_, Tenten thought wryly, reading between the lines. She sighed, and supposed that that was just about as good as she was going to get it. She shrugged, and decided to take faith, and count on her intuition that told her that he wasn't the type of person to do that sort of thing anyway, no mater how much he disapproved.

"Alright," Kakashi said, standing up, and sliding his hands into his pockets. The class was just about full by now; Tenten put away her thoughts and got prepared to listen. "Let's get started. Yesterday you all read chapter twelve, and got yourself acquainted with two of the greatest yakuza bosses of all time: Masashi Kishimoto of our very own Konoha, and Kubo Tite of Karakura. An argument between the two men – some petty infraction that was lost to time eventually – incited a bitter, bloody feud between the two great clans that lasted centuries.

"In 1876, after more than three hundred years of clashes, battles, and death, the new clan heads thought up of a way to compromise, and bring to the feud to an end. Can anyone tell me what that way was?" The red and black eyes scanned the classroom, looking for a candidate. "Ah, Sasuke. You look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Give us an answer."

The dark-haired boy, who looked nothing remotely close to either of those things, glared at his teacher as he deadpanned, "A fight to the death between their two greatest warriors."

"Excellent," said the teacher genially. "Would anyone else care to tell me who those two warriors were?"

Sakura's hand shot into the air. Kakashi nodded at her.

"Uzumaki Arashi and Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Very good. Now, the fight was supposed to-"

Kakashi was abruptly interrupted by a voice on the intercom that was familiar to all; Shizune-san, the office secretary.

"Hatake-san? Tsunade-sama would like to see you in her office right away, please."

"Oooh, somebody's in _trouble_," Naruto chortled loudly, cupping his hands around his mouth. He looked as though he planned on continuing, but a baleful look from Kakashi quelled him. The teacher turned in the direction of the intercom.

"Thank you, Shizune-san; tell her I won't be a minute." He turned to his class. "Not a peep while I'm gone, brats," he said cheerfully. "Iruka-sensei's class is next door, and you know how he hates to be disturbed."

A harried assent sounded throughout the class, and before long, Kakashi ambled through the door.

Predictably, of course, the class broke into pandemonium two seconds after the teacher disappeared. (_Everyone_ knew that Iruka-sensei didn't have his class there on a Friday. It was that bearded guy, Asuma-sensei, and he was probably out on the balcony sneaking a smoke.) Naruto started to boast about how the great Uzumaki Arashi had shared his clan name, and Sasuke was quick to retort that it wasn't of the slightest significance; Chouji broke out the chips; Ino started pestering Shikamaru to take her to a nice place the next time they went out; Sakura started yelling for everyone to shut their traps. Everyone seemed to being chattering about something or the other; everyone, that is, except Neji, who watched the scene with little interest, and Tenten, who reached for her Post-Its.

Only when the tip of her pen touched the paper did she realise that she didn't know what she was going to write him. She tapped the tip of her pen against her lips and mulled. She'd never before had to _think_ of something to write him.

One glance up at him gave her the perfect topic.

_I see you don't yet have a reason to smile._

It took him a bit longer than usual to reply, since he found the Post-It sticking to his fingers. Tenten had a bit of a giggle at his expense. It earned her a dry look.

**For how long are you going to bother me about that?**

She grinned mischievously.

_Who knows?_

He didn't look particularly pleased that she had apparently found a subject to tease him on, but took it all in stride, and had another note passing her way in no time. He threw his arm over the back of his chair to hand it to her, and as the slip of paper exchanged hands, the two teens' fingertips brushed.

Tenten came close to embarrassing herself by almost dropping the note in her surprised fumbling. Neji turned away quickly, before the light flush on his face became evident.

It took the brunette some length of time to unfold the note.

**I smile when I am given reason to smile.**

She was forced to smile as yet again, he proved that moodiness could indeed be expressed through the medium of words.

She went for the obvious reply, and was sure to throw it this time, to avoid contact.

_I know. You already said that._

**I think it bore saying again.**

Tenten rolled her eyes. Before she could pen a reply, someone at the front of the class who'd been on the lookout reported, "He's coming back!"

A hush fell throughout the room, and there wasn't a sound save the mad scrambling of those who had vacated their seats. In less than ten seconds, everyone was seated, lips sealed, and totally absorbed in the open books before them.

Kakashi strolled in.

"You guys are getting better at this," he commented, sitting on the edge of his desk, and reaching across for his book. "This time, I didn't even hear you all rushing for your seats, though that loud, "He's coming back!" rather gave it away." He flipped through the text, looking for his page.

From the class, there was silence, compounded by some very loud glares at the lookout.

"Alright, where were we?" Kakashi continued, seeming to forget the matter completely. "Right, the fight. Now, the textbooks that you all have don't provide a very detailed account of the battle, and that is an important part of the curriculum. So, please copy down this note."

He went to the board, chalk in hand, and the other casually slipped into his pocket.

"You don't need your mouths to write, so be quiet," he warned, not turning to look at them. "Or else we can switch to dictation, and I know how much you all _love_ that."

For some seconds, the quiet scratch of the chalk against the black surface was the only sound in the room. Then, with a collective resignation, pens were picked up, notebooks were opened to clean pages, and everyone began to copy down the lazy scribble that meandered its way across the board.

Tenten printed out the words in her book as they appeared on the board. She didn't really absorb much of it. She never could, really, when copying from the board. She simply duplicated what she saw, and resigned herself to reread it when she went home. Or at least listen when Kakashi was discussing it. At the moment, her mind was elsewhere.

Elsewhere being, admittedly, Neji. She found herself thinking about what he would look like when – if? – he smiled. And what would the reason be, the one that finally got him to smile. And what one might have to do to get him to smile.

She made herself stop after that.

Thinking that she and Neji were done for the day, and also that he would want to get his work done, she was very surprised when she glanced up from her notebook to see a folded note placed in the top corner of her desk, and Neji's pale hand rapidly retreating. She took a quick check to make sure that Kakashi's back was still turned before palming the piece of paper, and unfolding it as quietly as she could in her lap.

**Does it ever occur to you that we are rather unorthodox?**

Her first thought was that the question was rather out of the blue. The second was that his handwriting looked a little less meticulous than usual. The third was that he was being quite cryptic.

She poked him in the shoulder so he could reach back and get the reply.

_Unorthodox? Not at all. Speak for yourself, Pretty Eyes. _**_I'm_**_ perfectly normal._

It was a long while before he sent an answer. She didn't even see when he wrote it; he was being very still.

**Of course. Which is why you've spent the past week passing notes to a more or less perfect stranger, whom you've not spoken even one word to.**

Tenten drew a breath and it remained in the passageway of her throat for a long while. She didn't know what to say to _that_.

She folded the note very carefully and put it away, while her mind bent on the tangent that Neji had drawn in her head.

…She wouldn't call it _unorthodox_, because that just seemed to take it a little far. She didn't think that they were strange by a long-shot. But she could surrender to the fact that it wasn't the most normal thing in the world to build a friendship (…felt strange to put a word to it. Friendship… was that what they had?) purely through written words during spare moments in class. They hadn't ever spoken to each other, had they? And had it really been a week?

Well, now that he had mentioned it, there was no way they could continue this… _thing_ without feeling really weird about it. And then there was the point of considering that she apparently liked him (_liked_ him). It would be kinda troublesome to skirt around the issue for the rest of the term, especially since he'd probably find out soon enough. She wasn't the kind of girl who would make it painfully obvious (she'd be the first to put a gun to her head the moment she started doodling his name or giggling when he appeared) but she just had the feeling that he would be able to tell.

To her credit, it seemed like she had something to work with, at least. He wouldn't have been passing notes to her all week if he hadn't thought she was worth talking to. But then again, he also had the cold bastard thing going pretty well; how was she to know whether he'd warm up to her if this thing went verbal?

Tenten told herself that she was thinking too much about it, but that only made her think even more. For the rest of the period, she continued to distractedly copy down the note that her sensei scribbled across the blackboard, while her mind whirred in a whole other dimension.

No more notes passed between the two teenagers.

Neji threw Tenten a few casual glances now and then (though casual might have been a bit of an overstatement, since he had to crane his neck to get a decent look at her, without having to resort to turning full on his seat). She didn't notice him, though, but seemed to be deeply in thought. He watched her chew on her pen, noticed the way her eyes narrowed and her lips twisted in concentration, looked at the clear liquid honey of her eyes when they flicked up and met his by chance.

He felt his heart do the funny thing again. Facing front once again, he wondered what she would do.

It was Neji looking furtively at her that brought Tenten to her final decision. When the bell rang, she waited until the class was almost empty. Then she gathered up her books and her book bag, and took the few steps over to his desk. He looked up at her, nothing but a smidge of expectation on his face. Maybe something more.

"So," she said awkwardly, clearing her voice, and tried not to think about how weird it felt to actually _talk_ to him. Her eyes almost itched with the want to skit all over the place, but she forced them to remain trained on the silver-grey pupils staring up at her. "You want to… get something to eat or something, after school?"

He blinked at her, picked up his stuff, stood, and… _there_! A tiny smile. Tenten just about punched the air.

"Sure," he said quietly, his tone deep and hollow and pleasant. She grinned, eyes sparkling, and decided that she _liked_ the sound of his voice.

She swore he almost jumped when she grabbed his hand with her own on a wild impulse, but he only raised an eyebrow at her, and let her keep the appendage. This time she really would have slammed her fist into the air, if her other hand hadn't been preoccupied with her books.

They walked down the isle, side by side, the residual awkwardness dissolving in the air surrounding them. Neji's hand felt stiff and a little uneasy, ensconced in Tenten's, but it was warm, and the girl couldn't quite believe that this was the same stoic guy who had walked into the class on Monday, and informed her that he didn't need a chaperone. It was weird, how close she felt to him. She'd never held hands with a boy, not even any of her past boyfriends, but somehow, this felt _right_. She snuck a look at him, still smiling. Maybe it _was_ possible to build a friendship – a relationship, even – through the passing of notes. She felt his thumb circle one of her knuckles briefly, and shivered a little.

They were nearing the door when they noticed their sensei beckoning to them from where he still stood at his desk. They walked over, while the silver-haired teacher grinned openly at their linked hands.

"Ah, love is in the air, isn't it?" Neji and Tenten stared at him blankly, not quite knowing what to say (Neji tried then to retrieve his hand, but she held on tight). Kakashi continued on before they could think of anything. "How sweet. Allow me to provide you two youngsters with the means for your next few romantic evenings together." Kakashi's smile was obscenely wide as he handed them each a slip of paper. "Detention, four o'clock on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening."

"W-what?!" Tenten sputtered, gaping at the note. Neji blinked at it rapidly, equally confused. "What for? We didn't do anything!"

Kakashi gave them a disbelieving look, and scoffed slightly.

"Oh, come come," he said mildly. "You've been passing notes in my class all week. You didn't think I didn't _notice_, did you?"

* * *

**Notes:** Ahahahaha. :D I was _going_ to let them get off scot-free, but really, this is Kakashi we're talking about. What are the chances that he _wouldn't_ have noticed?

No, _humph _is not a word, but I used it so many times, along it all possible verbs forms of it, that it _should_ be considered one, instead of just an onomatopoeic sound.

Yes, I made Kishimoto-sensei and KT mobsters in the fic. I do what I want.

Um, okay. This story went through much planning, and drafts and second drafts. I started it sometime in early January (LAST YEAR, ha ha, go me), and finished it in July. There were many things I wanted to do with it, but some of them never really played out. I was contemplating having Gai as their teacher, but I'd already started with Kakashi, and he was turning out to be so much fun. I considered bringing Lee in, maybe as Tenten's best friend, but I didn't feel like doing the rivalry/jealousy thing. The Naruto/Hinata thing wasn't supposed to go that far, as I really don't like the pairing _that_ much, but I just went where the fic told me to go.

All in all, it was kinda fun, as far as AUs go. Like I said, I'm not a fan of Alternate Universe fics (especially _**high school **_AUs_, oh gaaaaaaawwwwwwwwd_) but I had a good time writing this, even though it broke my brain a little, and took me far, far, FAR longer than it should have.

Now, this was originally posted on LJ. It allowed for a lot of things, like different fonts for their handwriting, images used for notes and Post-Its, and it was a lot more creative and nice-looking. If you're interested in taking a look at it, just to see how it was done, copy and paste this link into your browser: sahara-storm . livejournal tag/notes. Just remove the spaces. As usual, all your comments, no matter what they are, are accepted with a smile and much gratitude. I really appreciate it.

Oh, and there just MIGHT be a sequel. Just thought I'd say that. But don't get your hopes up! (wags finger)

Right! And now that this is finally over and done with, please excuse me while I go die. (flops)


End file.
